Fighting the End Times
by JungleCat
Summary: Chapter two up! The most bizzar love square in fanfiction along with nasties that'll make you scream. Who will gain redemption and who will be left out in the cold? Who, if anyone, deserves the right to father the massiah?
1. The Arrival

Comes the Savior  
  
  
  
Water dripped almost lazily from the eaves above the street. Not a single person, stray dog or bird graced the coldness with it's presence. There was not a soul wandering the streets to see the small girl huddling in fear behind a dumpster, hugging her trembling knees to her chest and crying silently into her arms.  
  
Not a soul, but there were monsters, Vampires, with their twisted faces and cold yellow eyes. This night they were out in force, even for Sunnydale, this was excessive.  
  
Somehow, cuddled there in the dark, the girl escaped their notice, although it was her that they sought. Even though the smell of her fear was heavy in the air, something divine allowed her to escape capture and death. It hid her from their senses. well, all but one.  
  
  
  
Spike was grumbling to himself, as usual. A little about the number of vampires he had to dodge this night, a little about the chip in his head. But mostly, it was about Buffy. That damn girl! He ran a hand though his permanently bleached hair and threw the butt of his cigarette into a garden.  
  
He was so deep into his own private world that the stink of incredible human fear nearly escaped his notice. Vampires are attracted to fear, blood and bright colors. Spike on the other hand tried to avoid all of the above. Fear frustrated him, as he was rarely the cause of it (and after these last few years, he wasn't sure how he felt about that). Blood, though the only thing that sustained him, always came from a butcher who didn't ask questions. Bright colors? Well they just didn't match his skin or personality.  
  
This fear however reached out and grasped him by the throat! He felt saturated by it. Any other vampire would have 'changed' at once. Taking on the prominent forehead and cold yellow eyes of the hunt and found its source to feed. These things didn't come naturally to Spike anymore, and he really wasn't sure he minded. So, track the scent he did, but not to feed. He wasn't really sure why he went, curiosity perhaps, that's what he told himself. To the casual observer however, it would have been obvious he was running to the rescue despite himself.  
  
Halfway down an ally, curled up behind a dumpster and crying was the pitiful little creature he could smell. A girl, he guessed her to be about 17, maybe 18. Her pose and trembling made her seem much younger.  
  
At the sight of Spike she whimpered and tried to worm under the dumpster to escape him. For some reason, her fear didn't amuse him as it once might have. Compassion? If you'd have asked him he would have denied it, even as he went out of his way to speak in hushed tones and reassure her.  
  
"Hey. it's all right pet, I'm not gonna hurt you." His hushed English accent was vaguely familiar and the girl stopped her frantic struggle to get away to listen.  
  
"Come here. You won't get far on that foot anyway." He beckoned her with one hand and crouched down so he could look her in the eyes.  
  
Having little in the way of a choice, she wriggled forward, trusting the soft tone of his voice and gentleness in his face. Spike reached out and gently felt her ankle, obviously broken.  
  
The girl whimpered and wriggled back again. This was going to be difficult. Why didn't he just go home? This was the slayers job, not his. But he didn't leave.  
  
"It's OK Pet. I'm not going to hurt you." He kept his voice soft and gentle, resisting the nagging frustration he was developing toward the girl.  
  
Jenny's mind raced. He didn't smell right, no matter how kind he sounded his scent wasn't right. He wasn't alive, he didn't breathe. Her ankle hurt, a lot. She knew enough of healing to know she'd never walk away on it, she'd need help and her warden was lost. She couldn't even smell him.  
  
This man, whatever he was, seemed to be offering help. Could this be Giles? He's meant to be English. No, Giles should be much older, and at no point was Giles meant to be dead! No, this wasn't him. The Slayer is a female so it couldn't be her either.  
  
For all her distrust, the voice of the stranger was gentle and there was nothing in his manner to suggest that he would harm her. He seemed quite caring in fact.  
  
Tentatively she stretched her leg out again so he could look at her ankle.  
  
"Well love, you aren't walking anywhere," He said softly. She had expected as much. But what were they going to do now?  
  
"I'm Spike." He mumbled finally, wondering if it might be a mistake to tell her his real name incase she knew of him. The information didn't seem to bother her however, but neither did she respond by telling him her name.  
  
"Well? You going to tell me your name Pet?" He asked slightly irritably.  
  
Jenny of course, couldn't answer; she'd never been able to speak. Instead she gave a weak little smile and offered him her hand. Spike took it and shrugged.  
  
"Not talking hmm? Fine by me love. I'll have to carry you. Now, no carrying on all right, if I wanted to hurt you I would have by now." He said, trying to sound stern, but he wasn't really fooling anyone.  
  
He hefted carefully her up into his arms and she whimpered a little, from pain more than fright. Her arms went immediately about his neck where she clung to him tightly. Spike had to suppress a smile, it was a rather nice feeling to be so trusted and needed.  
  
Spike felt rather ridiculous carrying a 17-year-old girl down the street, but to his surprise, no one bothered them. They didn't hit a single vamp on the way. Again, compassion? He'd never admit it, even though he now took her to his own lair to tend her wounds and decide how best to help her. Even as he carried her and cradled her against him to keep her safe, he'd have admitted no emotion, no care.  
  
  
  
  
  
Not far away from that dumpster, curled up like an injured dog, lay a young man. Hidden safely in a bushy hedge he growled at his own stupidity. His brown hair was matted with blood and he held his left arm tightly to his body. With the bone poking through the skin the wound bled profusely.  
  
His clothes were badly torn where vampires by the dozen had tried to kill him. His eyes shone gold in the dim light from a streetlamp, they wouldn't go green again for hours, and it would take all his strength to heal himself, if it was even possible.  
  
His injuries were the last thing on his mind however. He'd lost her. Allowed them to be separated. He searched through the scents on the air and couldn't find her anywhere. Desperately he howled into the night hoping against hope to hear her nearby. but no reply came. He had failed. The Vampires would take her and she'd be lost, along with all that she was supposed to do.  
  
In despair, he lapsed into unconsciousness, she had been the hope. and he had lost her.  
  
  
  
Jenny had heard the howl. She could have been a hundred miles away and still heard it. Spike had just managed to get the to the tomb where he lived and had kicked the door open when she started to struggle. The sound of her warden's howl of pain and desperation had made her frantic to find him, to reassure him that she was OK.  
  
"Hey! Calm down there! This is where I live its OK!" grunted Spike trying to keep from dropping her as she struggled in his arms.  
  
With all her strength Jenny tried to break away but in her current state it was useless. She wanted to tell this bleached haired man what was wrong, that her protector was injured and needed her. no matter what she tried, nothing worked. Communication was impossible.  
  
With a great deal of effort he managed to haul her inside and get her into the lower part of the crypt where he kept his bed and personal bit's and pieces. He put her on the bed and started hunting around for something to strap her ankle up with while she sat on the bed, crying softly and mewing like a lost kitten.  
  
"Don't worry love. I wont let anything hurt you, I promise." His gentle words did little to comfort her but she smiled softly. At least she might still make it to Giles and the Slayer. Once she was there she'd be safe. She had been assured of that.  
  
With a trembling hand, Jenny reached out to a pad of drawing paper. On the first few pages were drawing of a girl with sharp features and shoulder length hair. She flipped past them and picked up the pencil. In small spidery script she wrote 'Jenny' on the page and waited for the strange man to finish whatever he was doing and come back to where he could see her.  
  
After a rather loud and swear-punctuated search, Spike reappeared with a bandage and a glass of water. Her looked at the paper that she held up and was momentarily embarrassed and angry. Those were his drawings of Buffy! No one was supposed to see them! But then he saw the small word and smiled instead of yelling.  
  
"Jenny hu? Well it's nice to finally meet you." He grinned sarcastically. Kneeling before her, he slowly began to undo the laces of the old rebock sneaker she wore. Jenny whimpered a little but didn't pull away, despite himself, Spike tried to be gentler. A small finger poking him in the chest interrupted him. He looked up and she had a questioning expression on her face.  
  
"Spike, already told you that." He grunted. Maybe this kid was thick?  
  
Jenny shook her head and pointed to 'Jenny' written on the paper and then to herself, and then she pointed to Spike. Oh yeah, this one was dim. Spike stopped what he was doing and pointed to himself.  
  
"Spike" He said firmly.  
  
Again she shook her head seemingly incredibly frustrated. She repeated her sequence of gestures trying to get a name out of him. She refused to believe Spike was a name. Parents did not name their children Spike. She'd had a dog called Spike when she was very young.  
  
Spike sighed and gave in. "William" he said somewhat defeated. He wasn't sure how he felt about someone thinking of him as William. 'William' had been a useless little man with a useless little life. Spike found that to be a little to close to his currant situation for his liking.  
  
Jenny smiled and started writing on the paper again, allowing Spike to go back to bandaging her ankle. She growled like an animal at first and Spike felt sure she'd jump him at any moment. But she sat through his treatment and when he looked up, she held the paper out to him.  
  
In spidery little letters it said 'Thank you for helping me. I'm here because I need to find some people. I was sent to find the Slayer and a man called Giles. I've been separated from my warden and I need to find him again. Can you help me?'  
  
Spike just looked at the note caught between joy at having an excuse to go see Buffy, and really not wanting to lay eyes on her. He raised his cool blue eyes and looked into Jenny's brown ones. He was surprised at what he saw there.  
  
His first impressions had been of a small childlike girl what was probably a bit of a pushover. someone all soft and mushy. If he'd still been 'the big bad' her would have found her oh so very biteable. What he saw now was different and he didn't expect it. This girl was hard. Tough. There were little scars on her neck, looked like she'd fended off attacks before. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't bring himself to tell her no.  
  
"All right love. I'll take you to the Slayer. But she wont be happy to see me. we aren't on the best of terms right now." He realized she probably didn't care that he was in love with someone who didn't love him but he was to bitter to leave that last bit out.  
  
Jenny smiled and scribbled again on the piece of paper. 'I can promise you, they will be happy to see me.' She was smiling brightly at him when he managed to look at her again.  
  
"What are you exactly? You don't smell like anything special." He was getting wary now, if he accidentally took Buffy something hasty she'd probably not only never talk to him again but also kill him in the process of telling him she'd never talk to him again.  
  
Jenny scribbled again on the paper 'the oracle, and the next great mother. They will know what to do.' She seemed about to write more but then, unwilling to share such information, left it at that.  
  
"All right I can take a hint. Well, you still aren't walking anywhere, so I guess it's back to carrying you. Come on let's get this over with, I'll take you to Giles." Spike again lifted her into his arms and held her against his chest. This Do-Gooding wasn't so bad after all.  
  
It took them quite a while to make their way through the streets of Sunnydale to Giles' home. Spike wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to get in, so he knocked rather tentatively at the worn wooden door. When it opened, a suspicious looking Giles stuck his head out.  
  
"What do you want Spike? Buffy isn't here." He said guardedly.  
  
"I'm not looking for the Slayer, we're here to see you." He shifted a little so Jenny's weight was spread more evenly "Can I come in and put her down now? She's not exactly feather light!"  
  
Giles looked distrustful but stepped back and allowed Spike to enter. seems Giles hadn't had Spike put off the guest list like Buffy had. How charitable of him. Having gently set Jenny on the couch he tugged the paper from his back pocket along with a pencil and gave it to her.  
  
"There you go, can I leave now?" he asked her without much conviction, truth was he was worried about the little brat.  
  
'Please don't go. I don't know these people, only of them. At least I know you a little.' Was her written reply. She looked up at Giles and tugged the collar of her top aside to bare a strange looking tattoo on her right shoulder. The symbol of the triple moon phase.  
  
"My God." mumbles Giles leaning in to get a closer look, "it's not possible. you're." her looked at her with large and disbelieving eyes.  
  
"Maybe you can explain it to me old chum. I've been carting her about all night it'd be nice to know why." Grumbled Spike as he sat in a chair and popped open a bottle of whisky he'd found in the kitchen. Giles didn't even notice.  
  
"She's. she'd the mother of the messiah." Giles seemed rather out of it at this point. Jenny, for her part was sitting on the couch scribbling furiously on the paper.  
  
'My warden was lost fending of vampires earlier tonight. We have to find him! He could be dying or captured! I need the Slayer to help find him. I was sent here for you two to protect me.' She held up the paper and Giles nodded slowly.  
  
"Umm, Spike you can go now." He said absently picking up the phone and dialing Buffy's number.  
  
"I wont leave 'till I know she's alright." He moved and sat next to Jenny, who sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder, without thinking Spike put his arm around her and began telling her everything would be OK. Jenny tilted her head back and smiled softly at him, reached up with one hand and patted his cheek gently.  
  
"Alright, Buffy is on her way, Spike what are you still doing here?" Giles was obviously annoyed. after his little outburst at the magic shop, Spike wasn't sure he'd be able to push the old guy to far. But he was worried about Jenny. he couldn't deny that anymore.  
  
"William has to stay. I've lost my warden, he can fill the position till I find him again" 'said' Jenny via the medium of paper and pencil.  
  
Spike smiled a little and held Jenny around the shoulders gently. The contact wasn't at all unpleasant, and after having carried her around town half the night, the familiar feeling wasn't at all unwelcome. Secretly, Spike hoped Buffy would go nuts with jealousy to see him with his arm around another rather pretty young girl. He doubted it, but he could hope.  
  
It didn't take long for Buffy to round up the Scooby gang and turn up at Giles door. Buffy's first words were rather predictable.  
  
"What's he doing here?" she almost yelled at Giles accusingly.  
  
"Uh, he brought her in," he gestured to Jenny with one hand, "I rather think we owe him a great debt of thanks for it. much as I hate to say something like that of course."  
  
Buffy looked unconvinced and glared at Jenny almost as accusingly as she'd yelled at Giles.  
  
"And who is she? Something evil that's going to want to eat us probably!"  
  
Jenny whimpered softly and wriggled closer to Spike, she didn't really like this Buffy person, she yelled a lot and seemed very angry with her for something. Spike immediately wrapped his other arm around her.  
  
"Its OK Pet. This is the Slayer." He said softly, trying to calm her down.  
  
Jenny looked unconvinced and stayed close to Spike, not trusting this room that just filled up with strange new scents and feelings.  
  
"Buffy. this is the next mother of Christ." Giles was trying very hard to sound all old and confident. Truth was that he was petrified. He never thought he'd live to see the second coming, yet here she was. The girl who was meant to start it all. He wondered idly who the father was meant to be.  
  
Buffy just looked down at the rather unimpressive girl sitting before her. She didn't look like anything special, small, a little on the gangly side. Anyway, Buffy was in no mood to give her any credit at all, she was the reason Spike was now in the same room as her, and that was bad!  
  
"Isn't she a little young?" she asked sarcastically.  
  
"Well she isn't having it now is she, Slayer." Spike was quick to jump to Jenny's defense, partly because he really did feel sorry for this poor kid, and of course because it would just kill Buffy that he was right and she was wrong.  
  
"Ungh! Don't even talk to me Spike, just sit and be silent!" Buffy snapped, this was turning out to be a very, very bad day.  
  
Jenny cuddled into Spike's side and wondered why everyone seemed to be angry with her. Everyone except Spike of course, he seemed to be very nice, the only sane person here. Spike offered her some whisky without even thinking but Jenny scrunched up her nose and shook her head.  
  
"More for me pet," he said with a grin, rather happy and the general chaos between the Scooby gang. They were all talking at once trying to work out what was going on. Well, all except for Tara, who was smiling in that friendly way of hers at Jenny.  
  
After perhaps twenty minutes of this general bickering Terra managed to be heard over the din.  
  
"I think she's nice." She said softly, but then, Terra always spoke softly.  
  
"Me too, she's all cute and small and nice. But. Giles she doesn't look very. well. you know. pregnant." Willow was rambling. but that was OK, it was Willow after all.  
  
"Well she isn't pregnant yet, she wont be until she turns twenty one or so as I understand it." Giles was cleaning his glasses, a sure sign he was flummoxed and rather concerned.  
  
"So what are we supposed to do with her? Find her a boyfriend?" Buffy hadn't been sleeping, she was always foul tempered when she hadn't slept, and this little girl was getting all the attention usually reserved for the 'chosen one'. Not to mention the fact that Spike was the one who brought her in.  
  
From somewhere outside there was a howl, something wild and animal in the neighborhood. Nothing new for Sunnydale. Jenny started going nuts, squirming and mewing loudly, trying with all her might to get up of the couch but her ankle wouldn't support her weight and she fell back down with a whimper.  
  
"Hey. Love calm down! Just a wild dog. Sunnydale is full of things like that. It's all right nothing is going to hurt you." Spike was trying to be comforting and gentle like he had been all night but Jenny wasn't having any of it. Somewhere outside and very close by was her warden and she'd been parted from him for most of the night, longer than they'd ever been apart their entire lives.  
  
"Here, write it on this, what's wrong?" Spike shoved the paper and pencil at her. Buffy was looking on in mild annoyance. And why was Spike being so nice to this girl anyway? He'd have lost his patience way before now if it were anyone else. Hey? Why did she even care? She didn't. She spent the next few moments convincing herself of that fact.  
  
'My warden! He's outside! He needs me!' was Jenny's franticly scribbled message. It didn't come in time to save Giles door however.  
  
Moments after Spike translated for everyone, the heavy wooden door of Giles home came crashing in sending splinters of wood and door hinges flying in all directions. Buffy was instantly on her feet ready to kill whatever nasty, hairy, slimy or generally bad monster this was. What she saw made her stop in her tracks.  
  
In the doorway was a guy. A rather good-looking guy at that. With shaggy brown hair and alluring golden eyes. His left arm was cradled against his chest and he looked like he'd seen a lot of action. He growled menacingly at everyone until his eyes fell on Jenny who was practically crawling out of her skin trying to get to him. He loped (if a man can lope) across the room and crumpled into a heap at her feet. Jenny slipped down off the couch and wrapped her arms around his neck gently, she began to mew and whimper at him, stroking his hair and nuzzling her nose against his face and neck as a kitten would.  
  
The entire room remained silent for a long time, simply watching this exchange, until finally Buffy burst out.  
  
"What's going on here?"  
  
The handsome young man looked up at her, his eyes and changed from golden to an even more attractive emerald green.  
  
"I'm sorry. I wasn't myself. and I thought I'd lost her." all his attention then returned to Jenny as he nuzzled her back in exactly the same way, except he came of looking more like a wolf with his ruffled hair and hard features.  
  
Giles looked on quietly for a moment, refusing to let the tenderness of the moment bring a tear to his eyes, he'd already forgotten about his broken door. That thing had fallen down so many times the repair guys knew him by name.  
  
"Well. we need to get you to a hospital before we do anything." He finally managed to say.  
  
"No, they'll be watching the hospitals." Mumbled the young man, his head now in Jenny's lap, she was stroking his hair gently.  
  
"Who will? Who are you? Who's she? What's going on?" Buffy was feeling out of the loop and she didn't like it at all.  
  
Jenny glared at Buffy, it was obvious these two weren't going to get along, but Jenny's lack of voice kept the rude comments right where they were, on the tip of her tongue. Instead she stroked the young mans hair and gazed at him tenderly.  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm Andrew. Andrew Bairned, this is Jenny Nichols. We're meant to find the Slayer and her Watcher, but I lost her in a fight with some vampires." The young man was obviously in a lot of pain, Willow and Terra were already moving around the room making teas to calm him and herbs to heal him seeing a hospital would be out of the question.  
  
"You've found us. You'll both be quite safe now. I'm Giles, that over there is Buffy. This is Xander, Willow, Terra and Anya." He rattled of the well-known names and smiled at each Scooby member in turn. He pointedly left Spike out, but Jenny would have none of that. She kneeled up and tugged at Spikes arm and smiled from him to Andrew.  
  
"She wants to thank you. she says you helped her get here." Smiled Andrew in genuine gratitude.  
  
"Well. I can't eat her so. just don't go getting all mushy over it all right." If the air hadn't been so tense, someone would have laughed at his discomfort.  
  
Tara gently reached out to take Andrews arm but he growled at her as she reached to touch it. Jenny gently slapped his chest in silent rebuke.  
  
"Sorry." he mumbled, "habit." he finished, but way of explanation. Tara didn't seem to mind that much and checked his arm over. It was in a real mess.  
  
"Willow. we need to set this. can you help me?" she asked softly.  
  
Without a word Willow moved over and kneeled next to Terra and put on hand on Andrews shoulder gently.  
  
"This is going to hurt. a whole lot. do you want something to bite down on?" she asked.  
  
Andrew simply set his teeth and shook his head, turning his face away so he couldn't see, his cheek resting lightly on Jenny's knee. She reached down and took his hand gently in hers, when the bone was set, Andrews ear piercing scream was probably heard miles away. Jenny whimpered softly at the pressure he was putting on her hand and he hastily relaxed, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it gently.  
  
"There. It'll head straight now." mumbled Tara as she fuzzed around with bandages and a sling.  
  
In a matter of minutes the two young people curled around each other on the floor were being bombarded by questions about where they came from, who they where and how they managed to find their way to Sunny dale.  
  
Andrew took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he blinked his eyes it seems almost as if he was becoming accustomed to the pain and hence could ignore it.  
  
"Jenny was born in Germany, when she was one the mark rose on her skin and the knights came for her, taking her from her parents." He began.  
  
"Wait wait, what knights?" asked Giles.  
  
"The knights Templar, they have been waiting for her for thousands of years, when she was found she was taken back to France for her own protection. I was found a year later when we were both two, I was scraping at the door of the building she was in. The knights brought me inside and found the same mark on my body, I was meant to be her protector. We haven't been apart since."  
  
"Why were you sent to us? If it was the knights task to protect you?" Asked Willow.  
  
"The first signs have come to pass. We aren't safe in Europe anymore. The first sign, the redeemed destroyer is tested, and in the end his faith is restored to him, he gains his redemption."  
  
Buffy looked at the young man closely and sighed.  
  
"Angel." she mumbled  
  
"The second sign was the appearance of a demon of fire, a true servant of Satan who would come to claim her key, only to be destroyed by loves second death."  
  
All eyes turned to Buffy and Giles cleared his throat and cleaned his glasses.  
  
"Things are going to come to pass in Europe that Jenny can't be a part of, it's to dangerous for her there, and the leader of our order decided that she would be safest if we came to you." He finished.  
  
Jenny leaned down and rested her forehead against his closing her eyes and willing herself close to him again. The last few hours had been the most traumatic in her well-nurtured life; she'd never been forced to be without him before.  
  
"Question, why doesn't the little bit talk?" asked Spike.  
  
"She never spoke. The knights said when they first took her she knew a few words in German, but once she entered the temple she refused to speak. Before me her companion was a stray cat that wandered into the complex and she refused to let them take it from her. they think that's why she makes the sounds she does. Like a cat." Andrew smiled tenderly at his ward and touched her face with the back of one long finger.  
  
"Can you give us any idea of what could be coming after you both?" Giles frowned and finally managed to put his glasses back on.  
  
Andrew sighed and turned his gaze up to meet Giles'.  
  
"Everything the Darkness can think to throw at us. Jenny's baby will be the most powerful being on Earth since Jesus Christ. Even more frightening than the idea of them killing her, is the idea of them taking her. If they can force the child to be a mingling of something unnatural instead of a child born out of love. then it could easily be the end of us all." Andrew looked down at his broken arm and then up into Jenny's trusting face.  
  
Jenny took a breath and smiled bravely at him, patting his uninjured shoulder gently. Andrew let out a short barking laugh.  
  
"She says she trusts me. and she knows we'll protect her."  
  
The scoobies looked at each other in a mixture of awe and fear. In all the time they had been servants, warriors for God, they had all wondered it. thought the question that dare not be answered. In all this time, where had God been? Why hadn't he put in an appearance to help them? Before them sat a girl, small slip of a thing, who may just hold the answers.  
  
OK, I know it is SO far from being finished, but if you want more then I want feedback! PLEASE!  
  
Kitten. 


	2. Things out hunting

There were arguments about it of course… some ranting and raving and jumping up and down. But in the end, the small but firm insistence of a tiny girl won them over. Jenny and Andrew would stay with Spike. Buffy had protested most loudly, her main arguments being that Spike couldn't be trusted, Spike was evil, Spike was a vampire. Pretty much the same things she was always making a fuss about, things that at least to Jenny, seemed trivial and sometimes down right untrue!  
  
Andrew had seemed willing to follow his willful little charge wherever her heart desired to go, and with Giles own home being the only other choice, he was open to the possibility if it meant he kept his privacy.  
  
"Giles I can't believe your allowing this!" whined Buffy after the three subjects of the argument had left.  
  
"Buffy, they will be perfectly safe with Spike, and more to the point they wont be HERE!" Giles took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "You don't seem to understand Buffy that I give my house up at every possible opportunity… Spike stayed here for…" pause, "a dizzying amount of time… if there is somewhere else they can go where someone will look after them then I'm happy to let them go!"  
  
Buffy's eyes opened wide and she twiddled her thumbs a little.  
  
"I'm sorry Giles… everyone knows you do more than your share… but is it really safe to leave the mother of the savior of mankind with SPIKE?"  
  
Giles took his glasses of and for the millionth time that night cleaned them with the hem of his shirtsleeve. When he placed them back before his eyes, his face was calm and serene, 'explaining things to Buffy' face firmly in place.  
  
"Buffy, where would she be safer? Here, where every demon in the world knows her location… or in a crypt in the cemetery with a vampire where no one will ever think to look?" He patted her shoulder reassuringly.  
  
"I guess your right, but I hate trusting Spike to do anything!" she grumbled.  
  
"He did a good job with Dawn, Buffy…" he reminded her gently.  
  
"Dawn! Oh my God I'm so late!" she grabbed her bag and her jacket and gave Giles a quick peck on the cheek, " Gotta go, Bye Giles!" and she was gone.  
  
Giles chuckled softly to himself and settled down on his couch flipping some music on. He managed a whole five minutes before he gave up on relaxing and started riffling through his books in full research mode. He'd never been able to help himself, he gripped sometimes in the silence of his soul about his duty to Buffy and saving the world, but the truth was, he was only ever happy when there was a problem. He felt his true worth when digging through thousand-year-old volumes to find the answers, because that was his skill, his part of the scoobies gang. Such a frivolous title for something so serious, but as with everything that was Buffy, it fit, just so.  
  
****  
  
In a crypt in the cemetery, there was a small argument going on about the one queen sized bed Spike had in his possession. Spike had made some sexist statement about the lady getting the bed, at which point a strange argument had taken place. Jenny was 'yelling' at Andrew that he was injured and he should have the bed, but her words of course had to come from his mouth, at which point he would argue back that she was more important than him. So the argument went on well into the night until at last Spike picked Jenny up and flung her onto the bed where her small body took up only the tiniest amount of space. He then pointed at Andrew.  
  
"Your turn, you going in on your own or do I have to throw you?" he asked testily.  
  
Andrew gave Spike a lopsided smile that would have rivaled his own, cocky and overconfident. Andrew crawled up onto the bed and arranged himself so Jenny was lying against him with one of his arms around her.  
  
"Goodnight Jenny…" he said softly.  
  
Jenny raised her eyes to look at him and smiled, then turned and smiled at Spike, her hand rising to wave at him wearily.  
  
"Good night pet, Rambo." He settled into his overstuffed chair, the one he had for watching TV and closed his eyes.  
  
Things were going to get rather interesting for him, he could see it coming. The entire underworld was going to be out for his blood if they ever found out about this. Somehow, as frightening a thought as that was, he couldn't bring himself to abandon the two figures on his bed. The girl was sweet, she trusted him, didn't matter to her that he was dead, that he needed blood to live. She didn't care about his true face, she trusted him… the person that he was. As for the boy, that one was far too much like him for his liking! Cocky and confidant, smart and fiercely overprotective. Not that Spike doubted for a moment that the end of this little adventure would need all of that.  
  
****  
  
At a port in LA, a freighter pulled into harbor, the captain and crew left, laughing and joking with one another. On legs unused to land they staggered towards the nearest pub to take part in the great ritual of drinking and finding a nice soft woman to lay with.  
  
In the hold, 'it' began to stir. Growling in discomfort from its long journey having been forced to keep still inside it's crate. It stretched its limbs out, shattering wood splinters in every direction. Snarling and sniffing the air it lumbered towards the hold hatch and sent it flying into the night air. Climbing from its long time prison, its first thoughts were of food, it was dreadfully hungry, so it set about the hunt.  
  
It would eat anything it came across, be it man or beast, but always in the back of its demented and maddened mind, it could smell her. Feel her under its skin like an insult to its existence, a spear of light that pierced to its very heart, and it would find her. Find her and extinguish that painful light forever!  
  
****  
  
"Yes, yes, Very impressive Andrew," smiled Giles as Andrew went through a simple training sequence.  
  
Buffy had to admit she was impressed too. Sure he didn't have slayer strength but he was stronger than the average guy his size. She found herself drawn to his emerald eyes, which took on a decidedly golden hue when Jenny was upset or in danger. It had been a week since they had appeared and it was getting to be that no one really remembered a time when they weren't there. Nothing nasty had crawled out of the woodwork to attack them, and the scoobies began to take for granted the fact that nothing ever would.  
  
Jenny was sitting quietly in the corner reading one of Giles' watcher journals with avid interest. Andrew bounded over to her and pulled her to her feet. She tried to bat him away in a very Kitten like manner and he laughed at her.  
  
"Come play with us?" he asked almost pleadingly.  
  
Jenny looked up at him and blushed a little, then set the book down, carefully marking her page with a scrap of paper, she moved to the middle of the training floor and took up a rather sloppy fighting position. Andrew grinned at her, the grin of a predator after its prey, but of course Jenny hardly cared, she knew she'd never beat him unless he let her, but he wouldn't hurt her either.  
  
Buffy watched as Andrew circled her slowly, as she'd been taught, Jenny kept her eyes on her opponent and tracked him around the room. Before she could even move to strike he had shot in, grabbed her around her middle and had her in fits of giggles on the floor. Giles watched the youthful show of exuberance with badly disguised longing. Buffy didn't have the restraint for him to enjoy training the way they did, Buffy left him bruised and broken most of the time.  
  
The battle became serious again and Jenny wriggled, managing to poke her warden in the ribs making him yelp and loosen his grip if only for a moment. Jenny shot out from under him and tried to get to her feet. Andrew growled playfully and dived on top of her, they rolled around for a moment, Jenny battling for dominion she knew she'd never gain, he was simply to big.  
  
In the end, Andrew was firmly on top with Jenny's hands caught above her head in one of his larger ones. The look passing between them was intense, as their eyes battled a better balanced war. Jenny's defiant brown orbs staring without fear into the well controlled emerald green of her warden. In the end, it was Andrew that looked away; he released her hands and kissed her forehead gently.  
  
"Well done little one," he said softly, "You're getting better."  
  
Jenny smiled brightly and gave him a hug before heading back to her book. Buffy moved out onto the floor and smiled at Andrew.  
  
"Feel like going another round?" she asked.  
  
"If madam wishes," was his shrugged reply.  
  
It was clear to Buffy then that this BOY was over confident, he trained because it amused him and his little charge, not because he thought he needed it. Well, she'd make him think twice about that.  
  
"Come on," she said briskly and took a standard fighting stance.  
  
Giles watched with interest as the two began to move about one another. He was fascinated by Andrews obvious disinterest in the fact Buffy was stronger than him. Buffy also seemed to be ignoring that Andrew was capable of much faster movement.  
  
Just as the battle began, when Buffy lunged at Andrew, Spike wandered into the magic shop training room with armloads of shopping to pick up his houseguests. He dumped the bags next to Jenny and sat with her as she once again put up her book and watched the training room floor with mild interest.  
  
Andrew did not attack nor defend; he simply got out of the way, Buffy corrected before running headfirst into the wall and turned to glare at her opponent. She willed herself angry, she fought better angry. Andrew seemed completely at ease and calm.  
  
They spared a little, testing and inquisitive, searching for weaknesses and Buffy found his in the most unlikely of ways.  
  
The entire fight, Andrews eyes flicked to Jenny, an unconscious move, born of a million fights and sparing sessions when his sole purpose was to keep her alive. That and a simple desire to look on her. From the corner of his eyes Andrew had seen the vampire come in, had seen him take a position beside his charge. He was glad she had found a friend; she hadn't had a real one in as long as he had known her.  
  
Buffy pushed every time Andrew's eyes flicked to Jenny, but it wasn't enough, he was still evading her. They had landed only one or two hits each. Then, from the corner of his eye, Andrew saw Jenny smile up at Spike, then lay with her head on his outstretched thigh. He growled menacingly as Spikes hand began to stroke her hair gently and Jenny closed her eyes enjoying the attention.  
  
At that moment, Buffy dived in and tackled Andrew to the ground. Andrew looked up at the blonde woman above him and wondered briefly why it was that Spike being nice to Jenny bothered him. Buffy grinned down at Andrew triumphantly, but he fun was spoilt when Andrew didn't even pretend to be disappointed. He didn't even grumble about it!  
  
Giles clapped and smiled his 'proud father' smile at the two. Jenny sat up from Spikes lap and gifted her warden with a bright smile. She clambered to her feet and hurried to his side as Buffy got up. Jenny knelt next to him and laughed softly, stroking his hair with one hand and resting the other on his heaving chest.  
  
"I'm fine little one," he managed to laugh at her slightly worried look.  
  
Jenny took his hand and tried to help him to his feet, only managing to end up on her backside herself. Laughing again she almost climbed up his leg to regain her feet. Wrapping her arms around her warden's waist they both made their way over to her corner to watch Buffy finish her training.  
  
"Ready to go pets?" asked Spike jovially.  
  
Andrew looked at Jenny, he could see she wanted to leave, be alone with her books where Giles and Buffy wouldn't try to distract her. She couldn't fight and she knew it. The knights had pulled their hair out for years trying to teach her and nothing worked, she didn't have it in her to hit anyone. Andrew looked up at Spike and nodded.  
  
"She's ready to leave." He said.  
  
"Do you want to stay then mate? I can take her home and look after her for a while if you wanna prance about with the Slayer for a while longer." The offer was innocent of course, but Andrew didn't know that.  
  
Jenny smiled up at Andrew, her eyes clearly saying that she didn't mind, Spike would protect her from the big bad nothings that had come after her lately if he wanted to stay.  
  
"I… I shouldn't leave her…" he stuttered.  
  
Jenny laid a gentle hand on his chest and pushed him towards the training floor. Andrew went slowly, his eyes following her as Spike gathered up the shopping and took her hand, leading her away from him.  
  
"I'm sure Jennifer will be fine Andrew, despite appearances Spike has been a great help to us." Smiled Giles.  
  
Buffy watched as Andrew's eyes followed the two as the left. She truly felt sorry for him then, it was so obvious to her that he loved Jenny more than anything, idly she wondered if Andrew would be the father of Jenny's baby.  
  
It didn't take to long for Andrew to get back into training, behind his eyes and in the back of his mind he could still feel his tiny charge and she appeared at least to his senses, to be content and slightly amused. So he and Buffy spent a pleasant night sparing.  
  
****  
  
Across town, Spike kicked the door to the crypt open and held it thus with his body while Jenny entered. Jenny almost danced in and plonked down in Spikes chair, crossing her legs and smiling at him. Spike began unpacking shapes, Nacho's and little bits and pieces that his guests would be able to eat, some juice and coke went in the fridge.  
  
"Well Bit, what do you want to do now? Its getting late and all living things should be asleep!" smiled Spike  
  
Jenny frowned a little as she looked up at him, frustrated beyond measure that, unlike Andrew, he couldn't hear her mind. She wanted to tell him she was an adult and didn't need to be sent to bed, she wanted to tell him she hated leaving her warden behind at the training room, but most of all she wanted to tell him that she was grateful for all he'd done for them, that she trusted him to look after her.  
  
Spike knelt in front of the chair she was in and took her hands gently in his. His ice blue eyes were soft and gentle, as they always were with her.  
  
"I know how frustrating it must be Kitten… why won't you talk to me?" he asked softly, "I know you can… you used to talk. You understand English just fine…"  
  
Jenny just looked at him, she was fairly sure she could talk, if she wanted to that badly. But it was like a habit now, of not speaking and simply thinking it. She was half afraid that to speak out lout would break the bond she shared with her cocky warden, that he'd never hear her thoughts again. Now however she looked down at the blue eyes of a dead thing and could not find it in her to deny him what he asked… if it was talk he wanted, then she would try.  
  
"I…" she coughed a little her voice so long unused, "I can speak… but…" she paused again, "I have… little to say."  
  
Spike simply looked at her. His hands tightened slightly around hers and a smile graced his face the likes of which she'd never seen on him before. He leaned up and tenderly kissed her forehead before laughing and picking her up to spin her around.  
  
Jenny laughed, at the same time searching her mind franticly for Andrew, he was still there, nothing had changed, she had spoken and nothing had changed. Still, all these years of living without words, she was unsure how to use them and wanted to explain such to Spike. She wanted him to understand that she didn't want to tell anyone else or use it with anyone else, not unless he was willing to teach her. She wanted Andrew to hear her talk for the first time and her to have said something smooth and worthwhile.  
  
"You spoke!" the laughing voice of the undead thing could be heard for miles as he danced about in a childish display of pleasure.  
  
Jenny looked up at him with serious brown eyes and he stopped, placing her down on the floor he looked back at her trying to contain the joy he felt.  
  
"I can't… can't tell," she started, then paused and more emphatically added, "YOU can't tell,"  
  
Spike knelt down and looked at her as she to sank down to sit on the white fur rug. Spike didn't understand, he'd thought she'd want to share it! To let the others know and be happy with her.  
  
"Bad…" she mumbled.  
  
"No, no Jen it's wonderful!" exclaimed the disbelieving vampire.  
  
"No… bad… bad at it!" she managed.  
  
Spike stopped and looked down at her with a newfound understanding. She was smart, so much smarter than he gave her credit for, and more fragile too. Despite everything, she was still just a girl who didn't want to appear foolish in front of the people she cared about. He sighed softly and let a cold hand rest on her shoulder.  
  
"I could teach you pet… if you wanted. You don't really want my accent but talking isn't hard, and you already know all the words." He looked down at her hopefully.  
  
Jenny smiled and nodded launching herself forward she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly sending them both sprawling across the floor. Spike laughed merrily as they engaged in a battle of tickling and screaming laughter. Never once did Spike push his advantage of speed nor strength as Jenny used everything in he possession to win.  
  
****  
  
Their delighted laughter was not unnoticed; outside in the great wide world 'It' writhed in pain so intense it was madness. The beast could feel the light, like daggers and bees and all manner of painful things spearing into its very being. Her life was an affront to its existence, to its power.  
  
Lumbering with all the speed it could muster, the tattered and skinned body of its last victim still held tightly in one clawed hand, it made its way towards the source of its pain. Ignoring roads completely it went cross-country, a straight line to Sunny Dale. The girl would die, and it could return to its rest in peace.  
  
****  
  
The thing that rules the darkness has many plans, and none of his servants knows the others… In a hall of blackness in a place that is not, the darkness sat and hatched yet another plot.  
  
Out into the world it sent another thing. A thing to rival that, which already made its way towards the disgusting goodness that radiated out from Sunny Dale like a beacon from a lighthouse. This thing had in mind a different purpose, a newer and more interesting approach.  
  
The spawn of a simple girl could undo his darkness forever, his work and masterpiece. That couldn't be allowed to happen. His first impulse had been to destroy her, make it as if she had never been and carry on as such. But after anger, there comes thought and like evil little spirits of their own thoughts whispered to Darkness. Whispered that perhaps his plans should be changed. Yes…  
  
A child born from love, out of the womb of this woman would be the undoing of Darkness, but a child born of pain… something dark and unnatural would still wield the birthright of power that being her child promises… it would still be the savior, only not of mankind. No, it would be the savior of darkness, the deliverer into power that the Darkness had waited for…  
  
But why call back his warrior, if such an evil child could not for some reason be conceived, then 'It' would do its work and make it as if she never was.  
  
****  
  
Andrew moved towards the crypt some time later, he hadn't felt any fear or worry from his charge in the time they'd been apart. They had never been separate before, never more than a few meters from each other. Now she happily left in the protection of someone else, admittedly so he could do something he wanted but that wasn't the point. She was happy and protected without him.  
  
Andrew stopped cold in his tracks when he heard the sounds of merriment from inside the crypt. Jenny was howling with laughter at something Spike was doing and as Andrew stood outside the door, she was so caught up in her amusement she didn't feel him there. She always felt him coming, it was impossible for him to sneak up on her, she always knew where he was. He sighed and pushed the door open and the sight he beheld inside almost made him turn around and leave.  
  
Jenny was pinned on the floor under a shirtless Spike who appeared to be wet from a shower; he was tickling her mercilessly and laughing with her. She'd never let anyone else touch her like that before. He was the only one who'd been allowed to play with her, she'd only laughed like that with him.  
  
Spike looked up at Andrew, his eyes glinting in joy and his hands never stopping their work on Jenny's overly ticklish sides.  
  
"Come on Rambo, she's starting to break free, I could use another pair of hands!" called Spike as Jenny started trying to wriggle away.  
  
Fighting the urge to move forward and rip this undead thing to pieces, Andrew moved forward and took a different tack. He grabbed Spikes shoulders and flipped him onto his back, pinning his arms down grinning as he did so. Jenny squealed in delight and pounced on Spike giving him a tickling he'd never forget! Andrew was bucked off and sent flying but he soon returned trying to tickle both his playmates at once, until Jenny and Spike formed and unspoken alliance and turned on him.  
  
In the course of the tickling a Jenny sandwich was formed, she landed hard on top of Andrew who carefully held her steady all the while trying to fight off her tickling fingers and flung on top of both of them was Spike.  
  
"What is going on in here?" screamed an incredibly pissed of voice.  
  
Spike cringed and slunk back like a scolded dog to sit on his heels and look at Buffy who stood in his doorway, her fists on her hips.  
  
"We were just playin' Slayer." He said casually.  
  
Andrew and Jenny finally broke eye contact and sat up looking at Buffy with bright eyes, both fighting for breath.  
  
"We're fine Buffy, just got a little wild there for a while," Andrew was grinning that incredible grin of his and Buffy found that in the face of it, she couldn't argue.  
  
For the four people sitting in that room, something strange happened and they all felt it. The most interesting 'triangle' of loves leapt into being in that moment. Buffy could not tare her eyes from Andrews emerald orbs… Andrews arms were tight around Jenny's waist, Jenny watched Spike with appreciation and a childish and inexperienced kind of affection, while Spike, as always, was watching Buffy with the longing in his heart reflected perfectly in his eyes.  
  
For long minutes no one moved, each acutely aware of the other, and all unable to speak. Fate and light and shadow and all the things that made the people in that room the way they were, all those things took a hand in the feelings played out, the most important kind of pain. They would all grow and become better for what they learnt… if they could just play the game right then the amount of love in that room could save the world.  
  
  
  
OK, not finished still and I'd like some indication of where you'd all like it to go. I have my own ideas of course but think of it as an interactive novel. You give me the ideas and I'll see what I can do. Deal? 


End file.
